Aqua Forest Aquarium

(Welcome to Lily, one of the finalists in our San Francisco Blogger search. Comment away!)

We love pets, but cats and dogs are a no-go in our apartment building. A fish tank would be our next choice, but we're not too keen on the plastic treasure chests and fake rubbery plants we recall from our youth. Walking up Fillmore the other day, however, we were floored by the display in the window of Aqua Forest Aquarium...

The shop specializes in "Nature Aquarium Style," meaning real plants used to emulate natural vistas within the tank. The aquariums have a real "bonsai"-like quality to them, and the hand-blown glass filters give a clean look -- definitely a few steps up from the ol' goldfish in a bowl.